Mohd Shahrul Zaim Jamil, 38, is a quiet and unassuming man. For this interview FMT had to track him down to the jungle where he now earns his living harvesting jungle produce.
Trained as a mechanic and hailing from Palong, Negeri Sembilan, the ex-sailor studied at Akademi Laut Malaysia in Malacca, then worked in the engine rooms of cargo ships from international shipping companies.
His 10-year stint at sea earned him the nick name Ali and enabled him to see the world via shipping routes.
His Facebook name, though, is Ali Klasik, and the reason FMT sought him out is because he rode “Merlin”, his beloved 1956 Triumph T110, 650cc vintage motorbike from Seremban to its birthplace in Hinckley, Leicestershire, United Kingdom.
Initially quiet, Ali became animated as he spoke about his journey of more than 24,000km along country roads across 10 countries over the course of four and a half months.
When he was 11, Ali started riding motorbikes and later bought Merlin from his uncle. He fixed it up and took it for road trips to Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.
These trips sparked his desire to take Merlin home to its birthplace. Although he faced numerous challenges like not being taken seriously by potential sponsors, mechanical breakdowns, bureaucracy at border controls and rapidly changing weather, Ali’s spirit never once wavered.
He did receive encouragement and a little financial help from thousands of followers on his Facebook page, “Journey Kisah Triumph Ali Klasik”, but his trip was mostly self-funded.
Finally in January 2016 Merlin thundered triumphantly into the huge compound of the Triumph Motorcycle Factory, ending the 1st leg of Ali’s adventure.
After the compulsory cup of chai, Ali was taken into the world he had yearned to see all his life, a tour of the Triumph assembly line where he witnessed the pride of British motorcycle engineering being assembled.
Asked about navigation, Ali sheepishly confessed that he did not have a GPS system but relied on physical maps bought from bookshops.
Speaking about the lows of the trip, Ali recounted the frustration of being escorted by police everywhere in Pakistan, including spending a night in a jail cell “for his own safety”.
Merlin is safely stored at the Triumph factory in UK until Ali returns in July this year to continue his ride to Sweden, Norway and Finland. His final leg will see Merlin and him travelling the Americas and then South Africa.
As FMT was leaving, Ali said “Please mention my 1 year old Son Muhammad Triumph Ziqri in your article”. Here’s a shout out to you, little Triumph Ziqri. May you have a blessed first Hari Raya.
Kembara Bumi Suci 2014
Another intrepid traveller is Datuk Ahirudin Attan, better known as Rocky, and his Triumph Tiger Explorer Special Edition of the Kembara Bumi Suci expedition 2014 fame.
The expedition took his team of 12 members, 8 dual purpose bikes and a support van across varied, rugged and challenging terrain as well as harsh weather conditions with the cold season at its peak at most locations.
Their most challenging sectors were at the Tianshan Mountains in China and Pamir Alay of Kyrgyzstan, where the riders braved -18ºC blizzards as well as icy routes at 4000 meters above sea level.
The expedition members traversed Malaysia, Thailand, China, Kyrgyzstan, Ukzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Georgia, Turkey, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia before ending in Mecca where they performed their Umrah, a total of 17,630km.
Triumph was the official dual-purpose bike for Kembara Bumi Suci 2014, and is one of the brands carried by Fast Bikes Sdn Bhd, which will be our upcoming story.
Great giveaway!
Limited time only!
Hurry, this giveaway will run for two (2) weeks and ends at midnight, 17 June 2019.
How to win: ‘Like-Tag-Answer’
• Read both the above and the upcoming article on Triumph motorcycles
• Go to the FMT Lifestyle Instagram page (@fmtlifestyle) and click on “follow”.
• Tag three of your big bike-loving friends.
• Answer the three questions in the next article in the comment section of FMT Lifestyle’s Instagram page.
FMT’s contest result is final.